By Suzanne Hodgson

Staff Writer

Kennebunk’s Fire Rescue Emergency Medical Services is in the midst of a transportation experiment, but not everyone is happy with its new service.

Selectmen six months ago approved expanding ambulance service to include “transfer service,” non-emergency transportation to and from medical appointments. The service is intended to defray some costs associated with more traditional ambulance calls.

EMS transfer service can take patients to Portland or Portsmouth, which leaves the town with two ambulances available for other calls.

On May 11, fire rescue officials were back before the board to discuss a six-month review of the experiment and hear some criticism about the possible future of the service.

Chairman Wayne Berry said the town already has three ambulances, more than other surrounding towns.

Joel Downs, Kennebunk’s finance director, said the transfer service has cost as much as $100,000 in previous years. This year, Downs projected EMS will break even because of the addition of the transfer service paid by insurance reimbursement. 

Andy Turcotte, deputy chief of Kennebunk’s fire and rescue, told the board call volumes are up this year.

“We’ve had growth (in) emergency and non-emergency services,” Turcotte said.

With two months left in this fiscal year, the department has answered 40 more calls than the 2,043 calls for services last year.

Dan Limmer, a former paramedic with Kennebunk fire rescue and author of textbooks on EMS and fire and rescue training, said heightened call volumes might lead to problemw instead of solutions.

He said tying up ambulances with transfer services could slow responses to emergencies in addition to increased wear and mileage on ambulances.

“The transfer service may have potential. I think it was an idea that took off too fast,” Limmer said.

Selectman John Kotsonis said he also was concerned response time to emergencies would be longer because of the transfer service.

Kotsonis said he was listening to his scanner one night when a call came for EMS responders and no one replied. He said it took two more calls before someone responded.

“We’ve identified hiccups and over time we’ll implement change,” Turcotte said.

Not all calls for transfer service are pre-scheduled. Limmer listed a number of “what if” scenarios that would leave the town without proper ambulance coverage. Without a commander, the crew may be lost on how to respond properly in taking a transfer call, he said.

Turcotte said the town still has access to North East, a private emergency medical and transfer service, but said reported delays in picking up passengers were one reason why Kennebunk fire rescue wanted to try its own transfer service.

He also said a lot of the concerns brought up by Limmer we’re based on “what ifs” and the crew always kept one ambulance at the station.

“We need to be careful not to compromise the service we provide to citizens in favor of chasing dollars,” said Selectman Al Searles.

“What we’re doing is not a normal model, but we’re not the only ones who do it,” Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said.

Turcotte will be back in front of the board in six months for another board review of the service.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.